


The Umbrella Academy in: Pick a Puppy, Five!

by Metaphorsbewithyou



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Coffee, Cute, F/M, Good Sibling Allison Hargreeves, Good Sibling Vanya Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Minor Sissy Cooper/Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Protective Luther Hargreeves, Puppy Love, Season/Series 03, Slow Burn, The Sparrow Academy (Umbrella Academy), Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27014215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metaphorsbewithyou/pseuds/Metaphorsbewithyou
Summary: After the Hargreeves land back in 2019, they're met with an unsuspecting future. But what is certain: the apocalypse is finally over!Five, not knowing what to do with himself, buys a puppy. But little does he know, that puppy is not what she seems.Short chapters! The plot starts picking up after Chapter 6, so keep reading!
Relationships: Dolores/Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Number Five | The Boy & Mr. Pennycrumb, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Original Character(s), Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Apocalypse No More!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first time on AO3!  
> Mrs. Pennycrumb is my OC... She's partially based on Mr. Pennycrumb(Five's dog he adopts in the Dallas comic) and partially what I think would be cute in the show. But I'll let you find out more about her ;)
> 
> Disclaimer: This is based on the Umbrella Academy comics and TV series. All characters and references are based on Gerard Way's and the TV show creators' writing.

The Umbrella Academy in: Apocalypse No More!

____

2019.

"Dad, who are these assholes?"

____

Five, unsure of what to do without an imminent apocalypse, found himself in a pet store. He had never had a pet or an animal in the house other than Pogo.  
But Pogo didn’t count.  
He was more like a mentor… or even a father figure.  
Five looked around, eyeing the colourful array of fish.  
“Hi, there! Do you need any help?” a friendly store clerk said, greeting him.  
“Just looking.” Five answered curtly. He was unsure as to why he was there. He didn’t know how to care for a pet.  
He found himself approaching the window with a litter of puppies.  
Puppies were rolling around, jumping on one another. Some were attacking little plastic toys, some were barking and yipping.  
As he approached, he noticed one little puppy sitting quietly, staring sweetly up at him.  
“That is one cute puppy”

____

That same puppy could be seen on the end of a pink, sparkly leash attached to a pink sparkly collar. At the other end of the leash was a very pleased looking Number Five.

____

Now, perhaps Five Hargreeves should not be trusted with naming anything. He himself is named after a number and did not take to his “normal” name given by Mom.  
What we do know is that he decided to name his new, very cute puppy: Mrs. Pennycrumb.  
And despite the rather strange name, he truly did love his puppy.  
He had not loved something this much since Dolores. Oh, Dolores, what you must be thinking now. 

____

As the days flew by, not s single mention of an apocalypse came his way. And even though such news should relieve a normal person, Five Hargreeves was far from normal.  
He felt utterly agitated.  
How could the Apocalypse just disappear? Especially with the way he and his siblings had left 1963.  
Where was Lila? And was the Handler truly gone forever?  
He wanted to believe everything was fine, but he couldn’t get a certain itch out of his system.  
Was Klaus right? Could he be addicted to saving the world?  
So many questions in such a little body. 

____

The one thing that was truly certain in his life was Mrs. Pennycrumb. She never failed to comfort him, always greeting him by the door. She slept curled up next to him and never failed to lay her head on his lap when he was having a rough day. And when his family would come to visit, she was always friendly to them. She even managed to bring forth the soft side in Diego. What could be more true than Mrs. Pennycrumb?

____

Alas, what Five did not know was that Mrs. Pennycrumb was not truly a dog.

____

End of Chapter 1.


	2. Who Are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs. Pennycrumb.... who is she?  
> Or more like: What is she?

The Umbrella Academy in: Who Are You?  
_______

One quiet, sunny day, when Five was out visiting Vanya for a cup of coffee, Mrs. Pennycrumb could be found rooting through his fridge. She was hoping to find something substantial that did not taste like dog food. She was tired of dog food.  
Mrs. Pennycrumb was not a dog, she was a human.  
Well, she was born a human.  
As the nurse was cleaning her body, Mrs. Pennycrumb turned into a rather small and rather cute snake.  
Unfortunately, the nurse was deathly afraid of snakes.  
Mrs. Pennycrumb became an orphan that day.  
_______

Mrs. Pennycrumb, rooting through the fridge, did not find very much. She was in her preferred human form: that of a young girl. It was much easier to root through a fridge with opposable thumbs and much safer to eat human food when in human form. She had never tried eating chocolate as a dog… the risk was too great.  
_______

What she did not know was that Five and Vanya had had a short visit. Vanya was called to help with a “very, like, super important” issue concerning Klaus.  
And, Mrs. Pennycrumb, expecting perhaps an hour or so to eat, was leisurely picking out nicely shaped marshmallows.  
_______

Meanwhile, Five, coming back from a short visit with his sister, stopped to give a rather mean look to a young baby had who stared for too long. Five did not like babies when they stared.  
_______

Mrs. Pennycrumb was fixing herself a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, still oblivious to Five’s imminent return.  
_______

Five continued on, trekking to the abandoned alleyway where he usually teleported into his apartment. He did not care to use the stairs. They were forty-five degrees too steep of an incline for his poor, old back.  
_______

Mrs. Pennycrumb was arranging the marshmallows so that they lined up perfectly. She enjoyed how orderly it looked.  
_______

Five gave himself a little shake. He did not know he would find a rather surprised looking girl in his apartment.  
_______

A bright light appeared in the apartment and, soon thereafter, an old man stuck in a young body.  
Mrs. Pennycrumb dropped the bag of marshmallows in shock. Fluffy white marshmallows tumbled out, littering the floor.  
Five immediately grabbed a knife from the counter.  
“Who are you?!”  
Five approached cautiously, a great look of anger and suspicion in his eyes.  
Mrs. Pennycrumb, eyes wide, bent down to pick up the marshmallows.  
Unfortunately for her, Five did not know she meant to grab marshmallows and assumed she meant to grab a weapon.  
Teleporting behind Mrs. Pennycrumb, Five grabbed hold of her arm, knocking her down.  
Mrs. Pennycrumb was fairly quick but surprise and shock froze her in place.  
Scuffling around, Five attempting to stab and Mrs. Pennycrumb attempting not to get stabbed, they found themselves flat on the floor.  
“I-I’m Mrs. Pennycrumb!!” Mrs. Pennycrumb tried to yell through a mouthful of Five’s fingers.  
Five stopped moving, lifting himself off of her just enough to see her face.  
He had an elbow on her throat and his knife in the other hand, poised to stab.  
“What did you say?” Five said, a very scary and slightly maniacal tone in his voice. He had only heard the name of his beloved puppy and cared only for her.  
Mrs. Pennycrumb eyed the knife warily. She knew how much he cared about his dog and couldn’t be sure how he would react.  
“I-I said”, she cleared her throat, “I am Mrs. Pennycrumb. I’m your dog.”  
“How in the hell does that make sense?” said Five, confused.  
He had not quite connected the dots; however, she hadn’t given him any dots to connect.  
“I can… change into animals… Shapeshift…”  
She wheezed. His elbow was quite sharp and her throat was very much not.  
“Don’t mess with me! I want my dog back!”  
Five still did not quite understand. The girl looked about his body’s age, for god's sake!  
“I… let me show you”  
Immediately, Mrs. Pennycrumb changed into Mrs. Pennycrumb (the dog, I mean).  
Five jumped off of his dog, not wanting to kill his beloved Mrs. Pennycrumb.  
How could this be possible?  
_______

End of Chapter 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I hope you like what you've read so far!! I'm still working on Mrs. Pennycrumb's background but any suggestions or ideas are welcome :)


	3. October 1, 1989.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five finds out about Mrs. Pennycrumb's past...

The Umbrella Academy in: October 1, 1989.  
_______

On October 1st, 1989, a baby grey rat snake could be found slithering into a warm vent in the hospital.  
_______

“When were you born?”  
“What?”  
“It’s a simple question: When. Were. You. Born?”  
Mrs. Pennycrumb hesitated. She had been born 30 years ago and yet, she looked like a 16-year-old girl.  
“Do not lie to me again”  
Mrs. Pennycrumb decided she had better just tell the truth. There wasn’t much to hide now… especially if she didn’t want to become Five’s new knife target practice.  
“October 1st…”  
“1989” Five finished. It was the same birth date as himself and the same birthdate as his siblings.  
“How…?”  
Five was now deep in thought, pacing around the room, muttering to himself.  
Mrs. Pennycrumb caught phrases such as “he didn’t adopt you, then?” and “Who else is out there?”.  
She never quite caught Five's full life story, though she knew he had powers. She was not particularly up to date with the news either. She had not seen any Sparrow Academy paraphernalia and she had definitely never heard of anything called the ‘Umbrella Academy’.  
She wanted an explanation.  
No, she needed an explanation.  
Grabbing a squashed marshmallow from the floor, Mrs. Pennycrumb threw it right at Five’s head. Luckily (or perhaps unlikely for her), it hit him.  
“Explain. Now.” She said, attempting to sound fierce.  
“Please” She added (she did have manners, after all).  
Five did not find her particularly scary or fierce sounding, but he did feel as though he owed it to her. She was probably scared and confused.  
With a long sigh and a deep breath, Five explained everything.  
_______

For the first few years of her life, Mrs. Pennycrumb would spontaneously interchange between different animal forms. She had been tossed out of nests, shunned from packs, chased out of burrows.  
She had spent many a night on her own, curled up under a bridge, a bush, in a pipe.  
She had spent a long while in an orphanage and another long while with the homeless community.  
She has never truly had a place to call home.  
That is, until Mr. Five Hargreeves adopted her from the pet store.  
_______

"You mean to tell me that I could've had a family?"  
Mrs. Pennycrumb was on the verge of tears. She had never truly felt loved. And to hear that Five and all of his visitors could be her family... it was almost too much.  
"Technically..." Five trailed off.  
The look on Mrs. Pennycrumb's face was that of heartbreak, relief, sadness regret, and hope. Even though Five had a hard time showing it, he did truly care about others. He loved his family, he loved Dolores, he even found himself trusting this strange girl.  
Oh, bother! What was he getting himself into!  
_______

End of Chapter 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!!
> 
> Do you think it's weird for Mrs. Pennycrumb (a 30-year-old in a 16-year-old body) to be in a relationship with Five (a 58-year-old in a 13-year-old body)?


	4. A Hargreeves Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs. Pennycrumb reveals her true self to the family!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I kind of just skipped over the whole Sparrow Academy thing but honestly, I have no idea what they're going to write! So pretty much all of that is up to your imagination at this point! I'm also leaving any mention of Ben, Grace, and Pogo up in the air.
> 
> I'm also hoping to add some more action, maybe a fight or two... who knows!

The Umbrella Academy in: A Hargreeves Family Reunion  
_____

It was as though she was meeting them for the first time.  
Well, perhaps she was.  
Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Vanya.  
They knew her as a puppy, but now they were finding out her true identity.  
_____

“So, this is the true Mrs. Pennycrumb.” said Five, nodding to her.  
“Welcome to the family!” Luther said, his arms open wide. And, aside to Five, “She doesn’t look our age…”.  
(“I already explained that, Luther. Get it into that pea brain of yours.”).  
“How do we know she isn’t a spy for dad? Are you a spy for Reginald Hargreeves?”  
Diego was not quite as inviting. He was very much not over the whole ’Sparrow Academy’ thing.  
“Another sister! Oh, come here!”  
Mrs. Pennycrumb was pulled into a loving hug by her new sister, Allison. Allison was very happy (“This family could use more women!”).  
“Welcome to the family, little sis… You know, I think I like you better as a person.”  
Klaus, eccentric as ever, was probably the least surprised. It was hard to be surprised when you’ve lived through two apocalypses with a family dull of dysfunctional adults.  
“Hi… our family is kind of crazy but I’m sure you can already tell”  
Vanya shyly looked at her new sister. She could tell that this experience was overwhelming and hoped to make it as easy for her as possible.  
“Okay okay, I know Fivey here named you Mrs. Pennycrumb but, like, do you have a human name or…?” said Klaus, bringing up a very good point.  
Mrs. Pennycrumb thought to herself. She had never found a name that truly suited her and for some very stranger reason, she liked this name.  
“No… I… that’s good for me.”  
“We can call you Penny, for short,” Allison said. She thought that the girl ought to have a normal name. Or as normal as you could make it.  
“I-I like that” Penny said shyly.  
“Like, Penny Pennycrumb?” Luther said. She didn’t have a last name, after all.  
“Or maybe Penny Hargreeves now that you’re one of us?” Vanya suggested.  
_____

One of us… Oh, the joy that was spilling out of her heart! Penny couldn’t believe she had a family and such a big one at that!  
Penny Hargreeves…. She could get used to the sound of that.  
_____

End of Chapter 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one's short but hopefully, you still enjoyed it!
> 
> How do you think they would react to her?


	5. Coffee, Please.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs. Pennycrumb and Five learn how to live with each other... Five introduces her to coffee, one of his true loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a fun chapter about them being cute together. Not really any action.  
> I don't know if I'm all that great at writing love plots but here we go?
> 
> Hope you like it!

The Umbrella Academy in: Coffee, Please.  
_______

Mrs. Pennycrumb decided to live with Five.  
Or rather, Five suggested she live with him.  
She had, as a dog, after all.  
Penny had learned a couple of Five’s quirks as a dog but boy did she have a lot to learn!  
_______

Five was not used to having another human constantly near him. Even though he had had Dolores, this was a whole different matter.  
For one thing, Penny did not say exactly what he was thinking.  
Penny would also randomly change into different animals during the day.  
And weirdest of all, Penny seemed to want to be near Five all the time!  
He was used to people being scared of him.  
This girl was not.  
When he was gruff and rude, she would see right through it.  
He didn’t know how to deal with this. And he even found himself enjoying her company.  
_______

“Okay so, the coffee grounds go in here? And the water goes in here… and I press this button and it just makes it?”  
“You’ve got it.”  
Early one morning, Five had decided to teach Penny how to make coffee… his way, the right way.  
“You know, I’ve never had coffee…”  
Penny had always loved the smell of Five’s coffee, but she never ventured to try it. She had been told it was quite bitter.  
“Well then, you’re missing out”  
Five found himself staring into her eyes. They were the colour of coffee. He loved coffee and he loved those warm, inviting eyes.  
Wait, what?  
_______

Once the coffee was ready, Five grabbed two mugs (one of them may have said #1 Dad on it…) and set them on the counter.  
“Prepare to be amazed” Five muttered as he poured the hot liquid into the cups.  
“Pennycrumb.” He said, handing a mug to Penny. He still called her by her original name. It was his naming choice after all.  
Penny sniffed her coffee and timidly took a sip.  
She immediately spat it out.  
“Bitter!” She said, scrunching up her face.  
“Maybe a first-timer should add some sugar” He laughed, sliding the container over to her. He loved that little scrunch of her nose.  
Wait, what?  
______

Penny, not having ever had this much caffeine in her entire life, was practically bouncing off the walls.  
She was normally a fairly calm and quiet person, but this coffee just gave her the jitters.  
Most likely, if it had not been Five’s ideal cup of coffee, she would have tolerated it much better. Unfortunately for her, Five liked his coffee strong. Very strong.  
“I think I need to take you on a walk…” Said Five.  
______

As the days passed by, Five and Penny learned to live with each other, every day like a dance of its own.  
In the mornings, Penny would make the coffee as Five groggily stumbled out of bed (the smell of the coffee enticing him).  
Five would grab the mugs, Penny would poor the coffee, Penny would take a sip and spit it out (she wanted to get to Five's level of coffee drinking), and Five would push the sugar container her way.  
Every morning, the same dance.  
And every day, they became more and more used to each other.  
_______

End of Chapter 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think Five knows he likes Penny? What would Dolores say?!


	6. The Televator.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything isn't as Happy-Go-Lucky as the Hargreeves think... But maybe a Disney marathon will help?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so, this Chapter includes a mention of the Televator. If you haven't read the comics, the Televator is an invention by Sir Reginald Hargreeves. It's pretty much a mix between an elevator and a teleportation device (hence, the name) that can go between dimensions. I'll try to explain little more later in the story, but for now, this is all you need to know.

The Umbrella Academy in: The Televator.  
______

Five and Penny seemed to be getting along well, but what they didn’t know was that the world around them was falling to pieces.  
Five had been told that the apocalypse was gone… and that was a fact.  
The world would not end from all of this chaos.  
But it surely would suffer.  
What he did not know was that an influx of disasters was coming their way.  
2020 would start and end with a bang.  
_______

“So, why not a 30-year-old human? I mean, that’s your real age, right?” Klaus asked Penny.  
She did have a choice of how she looked, after all.  
“Oh… I just think I seem less suspicious or noticeable as a 16-year-old girl… especially being well, not white”  
“Well, I think you could look like a mix of Mulan and Moana,” Klaus said, studying her face.  
“Who?”  
“What!? You don’t know who Mulan is? Moana? Seriously?”  
Penny shook her head.  
There were no TVs in her orphanage… or in the wild.  
“Okay, we seriously need to, just, watch all of the Disney movies. Movie Marathon!”  
_________

Many hours later and countless bowls of popcorn, Penny had seen all that could be offered.  
Luther had sung his heart out at ‘Part of your world’. Allison practically recited all of ‘Frozen’ (she had watched many hours with Claire…. Oh Claire…).  
Diego was a whiz with ’Tangled’. He adored Flynn Ryder.  
Vanya made sure to stick around for ‘Beauty and the Beast’. She loved the library scene.  
Of course, Klaus had all of the songs memorized and sang every single one word for word.  
Five, though he also hadn’t seen any Disney movies (between the Commission and 45 years alone, with no TV, he didn’t know much about pop culture), he truly enjoyed Mulan. Though, he wouldn’t admit it outright.  
Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be enjoying themselves for much longer  
_________

Far in China, a disaster was occurring.  
Something had arrived through the Televator and it was not happy.  
_________

End of Chapter 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one! I'm still working on the plot so this whole story might be a bit choppy... oops! 
> 
> Do you agree with their favorite Disney movies? How did you imagine Mrs.Pennycrumb to look like?


	7. An Old Man, Some Weapons, And The End of The World.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old man in Dallas, A new feeling blooming in their chests, and a new frightful beginning to the year. What could be better?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little longer (maybe?) than some of my other chapters but I just had so many things I wanted to incorporate into it (hence the weird chapter name too!). I won't give away too much...  
> I hope you like it!

The Umbrella Academy in: An Old Man, Some Weapons, And The End of The World.  
_________

Down in Dallas, a 60-year-old man was enjoying a cup of tea on his porch, listening to an old song on his record player.   
Harlan had been coping with autism his whole life. Vanya leaving him was a huge and very stressful change, yet he always felt she was there. With him. In him.   
After Sissy’s death, Harlan had been pushing himself to connect with more people.   
What he did not know was that these connections were not only just emotional.   
His connections were something more.   
_________

Five had taken Mrs. Pennycrumb out to the park. He had had a weird feeling that something bad was going to happen soon but he didn’t know what. So, he decided it was high time to teach Mrs. Pennycrumb how to fight.   
“Okay, so what I want you to do is flip me over your shoulder. You have to be able to take people down. That’s the best way to defend yourself.”   
Penny had never learned how to fight, but she was fairly proficient at keeping herself alive.   
She hesitated though.   
She liked Five. She didn’t want to hurt him.   
“Like this?” She said, gently tugging on his arm.   
“No, no, no! I need you to be more aggressive! This is your life, we’re talking about!”   
Penny, biting her lip, tugged on his arm a little harder.   
“Come on… with feeling!” Five said.   
Closing her eyes, Penny yanked on his arm very hard, flipping Five over her shoulder.   
He landed on the ground with a big thump.  
“Are you okay??” Penny bent down, very concerned.  
“Yup.” Five coughed. He stood up, brushing himself off, “Okay, now do it again but this time you have to pin me down. You have to make sure your attacker isn’t going to get back up.”  
“O-okay…”   
Penny did the maneuver again, pinning Five down under her body.  
“Like this?” she said.   
Her face was awfully close to his as she stared right into his eyes.   
Five, a little winded, tried his best to ignore the blush rising in his face.   
He hadn’t been this close to her as a human…  
“Um, great I-“  
“Oh… Um, I’ll get off of you…”  
Penny felt her cheeks heat up.  
What did this mean?  
_________

Harlan had felt something different a few weeks ago. He had felt as though something in him were complete.   
He hadn’t felt this since…. Well, since Vanya.  
It couldn’t be!  
Could it?  
_________

Mrs. Pennycrumb and Five were now out in the forest, testing out their weapons skills.   
Penny had never shot a gun let alone held a gun in her entire life.   
And today, they were starting big.  
Five had brought a rifle, a shotgun, an ax, a bunch of throwing knives, and a bat covered in nails.   
Penny was holding the rifle, trying to aim it at some old tin cans Five had found in a dumpster.   
Bang!  
She missed.   
Bang! Bang!  
She missed... again. She did not feel too good about this whole gun thing.  
“Here, let me help you.” Five said, positioning himself behind her.   
He put his left hand on hers, under the rifle, and his right hand over her trigger finger, repositioning her hold on the gun.   
“Okay, take a deep breath in.” He murmured in her ear, “And pull the trigger…”   
Bang!  
She had hit the target! Right smack in the middle, launching the whole can off of its log.   
“I did it!” She said, turning to face Five.  
Again, they were very close to each other.   
Penny looked down.  
“Um, I’ll try again.” She said, reloading the rifle.   
Five backed away, blushing again.   
How did they always end up face to face like that?  
_________

Harlan found himself levitating a leaf above his hand.   
He had gotten pretty good at it.  
He could make it twist and twirl in the air so smoothly, you would almost think it was the wind.   
But the wind couldn’t do that to glass jars.  
The wind couldn’t do that to large boulders.  
And the wind definitely couldn’t do that to huge 18 wheelers.   
_________

Mrs. Pennycrumb and Five landed back in their apartment. Five had been using his teleportation powers to blink himself and Penny together.  
She had to get used to it. He didn’t want her leaving his side if anything bad happened.  
Tired, Five stumbled onto the floor, grabbing the kitchen counter for support.   
He was not used to blinking with another person as many times as he had. He was drained.   
Mrs. Pennycrumb, recovering from her queasiness (blinking made her head spin), noticed Five’s state of being.   
Retrieving a chocolate bar from her bag, she said, “Fudge Nutter?”, offering it to her very tired companion.  
Surprised yet pleased, Five took the chocolate bar, practically ripping off the packaging. His siblings didn’t normally remember his snacking tactics.   
Other than Vanya, that is.   
She always managed to make him peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches.   
“Thanks.” He said through a mouthful of chocolate.   
Mrs. Pennycrumb felt pleased with herself.   
She truly admired Five… he was so smart and so caring of her.   
Pulling out another chocolate bar, Penny took a bite.   
Five, noticing this, joked “Hey, dogs aren’t supposed to eat chocolate, right?”.   
“Ha! Well, little boys aren’t supposed to drink coffee, right?” Penny said, smiling at him.  
They found themselves staring into each other's eyes.   
Penny didn’t know what this warm feeling was, blooming inside of her.   
What did it mean?  
_________

“But, shouldn’t we be helping them? Isn’t that our job?”   
Ben was watching the news with his father.  
He and his siblings had been told to leave them alone. Let them deal with it.   
They had been told that they ‘must save their energy for later’, whatever that meant.   
_________

End of Chapter 7.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to incorporate Harlan and the Sparrow Academy a little... Of course, I don't know what will really happen in Season 3 but I guess here's my interpretation so far?
> 
> What do you think will happen with Harlan? Do Penny and Five like each other? What's up with Reggie and why won't he let the Sparrow Academy help?


	8. Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five and Penny share some heartfelt feelings. Ben has a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I just published this so soon after chapter 7, but why wait?  
> I suddenly had the creative bug in my brain and... voila!
> 
> Enjoy!

The Umbrella Academy in: Ben  
_______

Five and Penny had spent a long day practicing archery, knife throwing, hand-to-hand combat, and shotgun shooting.   
Five still had this itching feeling in the back of his mind that something was wrong.   
And it was driving him crazy that he didn’t know what.   
What he didn’t know, was that the answer was on the news.   
Something disastrous was happening in China. Something to do with his father’s invention: The Televator.   
But Five and Penny were blissfully (well, somewhat blissfully) ignorant.   
They didn’t know what was going on.  
They didn’t know how horrible everything was.   
And they didn’t know how much crazier their lives would become.   
_______

Ben had become restless.   
He could put his powers to good use!   
His monsters could fight those monsters!  
Weren’t people getting hurt?  
Weren’t people dying?  
He had to do something!  
But what?  
_______

Five had been sitting on the couch, ruminating his thoughts.   
Though his family knew he worked for the Commission, he had never told anyone about his true dark secret from that place.   
But now, he found himself wanting to tell Mrs. Pennycrumb.   
Why?   
She may resent him. She may be scared of him! She may-  
“What’s wrong, Five?” Mrs. Pennycrumb said, walking into the living room with (oh thank goodness!) two steaming mugs of strong coffee.   
She could tell his scowl was on the sadder side. It was normally angry or distracted.   
But today, he looked sad.  
“I- I don’t know… I don’t think I can tell you…”  
Five did not look at Penny.  
He was afraid she’d see the truth in his eyes.   
“Here, can I tell you something I haven’t told the others?” Penny said, sitting down next to him.  
“Okay”  
He wasn’t sure what to expect.  
Penny took a deep breath, “The true reason for my shape now, my human shape, is because… it's because I-I looked like this the last time someone told me I mattered…”  
Penny looked down. She had really never told anyone, let alone the Umbrella Academy, about this.  
“I know it sounds stupid but… I thought that maybe…” Penny trailed off.  
Five looked up at her, saying “You thought that if you stayed like that, it meant you mattered.”  
He had never seen this side of Mrs. Pennycrumb.   
She seemed… very sad and very broken.   
Five thought to himself.  
Deciding it would be best to just come out with it, say everything, he gave a big sigh.  
“I haven’t told my siblings this but, The Commission… they surgically modified me. They bonded my DNA to some of history’s most notorious assassins… I-I was turned.. no… Made into a killer by them. And I’m done. With all of that…”  
He stared at his hands in horror. He was not proud of this fact. He was tired of the killing and all of the blood on his hands. Lila was living proof of the horror he had committed.   
In a rush, he was squeezed into a hug by Mrs. Pennycrumb.   
At first, he stiffened.   
He was not used to any physical contact other than from Dolores.   
But after a few seconds, he found himself softening into the hug. He found himself enjoying this warm feeling.   
“I can turn into a dog if you want…” Mrs. Pennycrumb offered. She knew he had found comfort in his pet.  
“No… stay like this. Please.”  
_______

Ben was walking out in the streets.  
His father had allowed him and his siblings some free time.   
But what his father didn’t know was that Ben hadn’t planned on returning.   
He wanted to find someone.   
Well, multiple someone’s.  
He wanted to find The Umbrella Academy.  
_______

End of Chapter 8.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to see where Ben and Harlan's stories get off to! Also, Five's story about being genetically modified... well that came straight from the comics (Dallas)! And though it may not be all that viable in terms of science, it's a cool concept!
> 
> How do you want to see Penny and Five's story progress? What do you think will happen to Ben?


	9. Who's-a-Knocking?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny gets some advice from her siblings. Someone knocks at the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another shorter chapter.... I hope you like it!

The Umbrella Academy in: Who's-a-Knocking?  
________

“Have you guys ever been in love?”  
Penny was surrounded by her new siblings (all minus Five… he was getting some much-needed rest).   
She has called them over once Five had finally fallen asleep. She had tried very hard to fall asleep but she had way too many thoughts in her mind.   
She drank warm milk, she counted sheep, she snuggled up next to Five, she sang herself a lullaby.  
Nothing.  
Nothing worked!  
And that's when she decided she needed some family support.  
And now, here she was, asking her new, dysfunctional family about their love lives. 

“Oh, I had a beau… Dave…” Klaus said longingly, adding “I think I screwed everything up with him though”  
He sighed sadly, deep in thought, and took a sip of his wine.   
“I had Sissy,” Vanya said, smiling shyly to herself. “She and I lived on a farm”  
“Ray for me” Allison added, holding her wine glass up.  
“Diego?” Penny looked at him expectantly.  
“Lila.” Diego sighed. “And Luther and Allison have a thing” he added, trying to divert the attention from himself.   
He wasn’t quite ready to face his attachment to Lila.  
“Isn’t that…. incest?” Penny asked innocently.   
Five had been teaching her some new words and it so happened that this was one of them.  
“Well, uh, technically... no?” said Luther, blushing fiercely.  
“Oh, come on! You have to admit it's weird” Diego interjected, scoffing loudly.  
“Okay, well, what about you and Lila?” Luther replied defensively.  
Now it was Diego’s turn to blush.  
“Hey that’s-“  
“Boys! Stop it!” Allison said, putting on her best mom voice.   
Of course, they both quieted down immediately for she had a very, very good mom voice.   
“And what about Five?” Penny said quietly.   
“Well, he had Dolores… don’t worry though, she’s a mannequin,” Klaus answered, matter-of-factly.  
“And… and how do you know when you’re in love?”  
“Oh, you know… you just get this really nice warm feeling whenever you see them,” Klaus said.  
“You feel like you can do anything together.,” Vanya added, thinking deeply about Sissy.   
She really did miss her and Harlan.  
“You’d do anything for them,” Diego added with a shrug of his shoulders.   
“You just… get each other,” Luther said, matter-of-factly. He and Allison shared a look and a small smile.   
“But… I feel all of those things with Five?” Penny added confusedly. Weren’t these just normal feelings? Why was this bothering her so much?  
Allison, Diego, Luther, Klaus, and Vanya all shared a deep, understanding look.   
“I did notice him staring at you the other day...” Allison said slyly.  
“And I saw him actually smiling. For once.” Diego said, a smirk on his face.  
“He actually hummed to himself yesterday,” Klaus said in a singsong voice.   
“But I-“ Penny said.  
“I think he really likes you, Penny,” Vanya said, holding her new sister's hand.   
“Yeah, come on sis, you have to admit it. You guys are really cute together.” Klaus wrapped an arm around Penny’s shoulder.  
“Should I ask him?” Penny asked, looking at her siblings.   
Just then, a very groggy Five walked into the room in his pajamas.   
“Ask who what?” He said, rubbing his eyes sleepily.  
Suddenly, a loud, banging knock came from the door.   
The Hargreeves stared at each other quietly.   
Five, grabbing a bat, walked slowly to the door, holding it poised over his shoulder.  
He opened the door slowly and paused, surprised.  
His scowl deepened as he said, "What are you doing here?".

And in walked none other than Ben, his red Sparrow Academy jacket gleaming in the lamplight.  
________

End of Chapter 9.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you ship in TUA? Does Penny have feelings for Five? What is Ben doing there?


	10. The Truth.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has to face the Umbrella Academy. They learn about the Televator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a little while since I've posted a chapter... Hopefully this can make up for it!

The Umbrella Academy in: The Truth.   
_______

Ben hadn’t anticipated finding all six of the Umbrella Academy in the exact same room.   
He had only meant to find the organized one, Mr. Five.   
He had heard that together, they were disorganized and argumentative.  
But here they all were, sitting together, staring right at him.   
He looked at each of them in turn: a very large man; a very pretty, curly haired woman; a dark haired man with scars on his face; a thin, long haired man with tattoos; a young girl with dark hair; a small, mousy woman with brown hair; and a grumpy young boy scowling right at him.  
Wait a minute.  
That was more than six.   
His eyes roved back over to the young girl.   
Was this Lila?  
He had heard the name but couldn’t be sure.   
“Um, Hello, Umbrella Academy.” Ben said awkwardly.   
He no longer felt the bravado and confidence he had had earlier in the day.   
Though he was Number 1 of the Sparrow Academy, he always got butterflies speaking in front of a large group.  
Especially a large group of very powerful and very unpredictable people he desperately needed on his side.   
Oh good lord, what was he going to do?  
_______

The whole of the Umbrella Academy stared at Ben, lost for words.   
They weren’t expecting to see him again.  
Not in this timeline.  
_______

Of course, Penny had no clue who this man was.  
He was wearing some sort of uniform somewhat similar to the one Five would wear.   
Was this this Sparrow Academy Five had told her about?  
Feeling as though it was quite rude to keep this man waiting on the doorstep, Penny stood up and said “Why don’t you come in?”, gesturing with her hands to the apartment.   
“T-thank you…” the man said, slowly stepping through the doorway.   
She couldn’t understand why her siblings looked so shocked.   
Suddenly, Luther stood up very quickly.  
“Did dad send you?” he said and, without waiting for an answer, he turned to his other siblings, “We can’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth!”  
“I think we should hear him out!” Allison said, standing up as well.   
Diego, shocked, whispered his brothers name quietly.   
He and Ben had been very close as children.  
Well, in the other timeline.   
“Benny boy… come to give us a message?” Klaus asked.  
“Um, guys, shouldn’t we hear him out?” Vanya said.  
Five eyed Ben, “I can’t believe I’m saying this… again. I agree with Luther. I don’t think we can trust what he says.”   
“Okay, but why isn’t dad here with him?” Allison inquired.   
“He probably doesn’t think we’re good enough to see in person.” Diego said, finding his voice again, “I think we should hear him out, though.”  
Of course, an argument broke out between the Umbrella Academy. Lots of pointing and yelling was taking place.   
Penny, noticing Ben standing awkwardly to the side, said calmly, “Ben, is it? Do you want something to drink? We have water, orange juice, I can make a pot of coffee…”  
“Yeah… And, um, water would be nice…” Ben said, “Should I stop them?”  
Glancing at the group, Penny said “So, I’ll get you some water, then. I’m Penny, by the way.”  
And off she went to the kitchen.   
_______

A good 5 minutes later, the Hargreaves had settles and were waiting to hear from Ben. Penny had a pot of coffee and a few mugs set out. She poured a mugful for Five and he pushed the sugar pot towards her.  
Stirring a large spoonful of sugar into her mug, Penny said “Ben, why don’t you sit down.”  
Once everyone was seated (with a few grumpy looks here and there), Ben began speaking.   
“I know you don’t trust me but I… I need your help. Just, hear me out. Please.  
I… I’ve been hearing, well, I was watching the news with Father and there have been some… problems. His Televator, it’s gone haywire. It’s bringing up monsters all over the place. First, in China and now I think they’re moving this way.   
I can’t tell you exactly what or where this is all going on but I know I need to help. Father won’t let us go… But they need help. And that's why I came to you! My siblings... they won't go against Father. But I know that you guys, with your Abilities, you can help me with this.”  
There was utter silence.   
Then, Luther: “Okay so how do we know this isn’t just a trick or something? Didn’t Dad say the Apocalypse was over?”  
“Yeah, but he could’ve been lying to us to start with.” Klaus pointed out.   
“Well, we need to help, don’t we? We can’t just let this Televator destroy everything!” Diego said.   
“Okay, but how does it work? What are these ‘monsters’? How can we be sure this is even real?” Allison asked.   
Five stood up, thinking hard.  
“I think I’ve seen his plans for the Televator…. But how did he manage it?”  
Now everyone was looking at Five.   
“Oh, I don’t think this is an Apocalypse… it’s all part of his plan.”  
_______  
End of Chapter 10.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if I have big plotholes or something!! I will take constructive criticism!
> 
> Will the Umbrella Academy help Ben? What is Reggie's plan? Will Penny ever get to express her feelings for Five?


	11. Harlan, Harlan, Harlan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The connection between Harlan and Vanya becomes apparent. The Hargreeves discuss Reginalds motives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I know it's been a while since I've posted a chapter but be assured that I am trying to finish this story! I will not leave you hanging! School has just been very stressful.

The Umbrella Academy in: Harlan, Harlan, Harlan.   
________

Harlan had been feeling an overwhelming sense of some sort of gravitational pull.   
No, not gravitational…  
Something else.   
Deep down in his chest.  
It was as though a huge magnet were trying to pull him somewhere.   
_________

A young girl was walking, as though in a trance, out of her 7th birthday party.   
A young businessman was walking out of his very important meeting. He felt a pulling sensation in his chest.  
A group of women was walking down the street, hands held together, blank looks on their faces.   
All over Dallas, people were leaving their homes, their jobs to walk onto the streets.  
Friends, family, coworkers calling after them, stared in confusion.   
__________

“What do you mean ‘his’ plan?” Diego demanded.  
“Okay well, I saw his plans for the Televator a while ago… He had plans for a Hotel or jail of sorts in a different dimension. He’s been using it to house the monsters and criminals of the outer dimensions.   
I didn’t think he’d actually be able to work it.   
It shouldn’t be humanly possible!” Five explained.   
“I don’t understand…” Allison said, “How can there be something in a different dimension?”  
“Well, look at Ben. His tentacles, he doesn’t just sprout them, you know? He has a portal for Eldritch creatures in his abdomen. So why not a man-made portal?” Five explained.   
“S-so dad made a portal? This ‘Televator’ you’re talking about?” Vanya asked.  
“Yes. And I think he’s planned to unleash everything he’s trapped in the Hotel onto the earth. Onto this dimension…”

__________

“Listen, I don’t believe that father did this on purpose. Why would he do that? Raise the Sparrow Academy to stop evil but let it all out now? No, I don’t think that's true.” Ben said   
“Come on, Ben! Don’t you think it’s a little weird that he’s not letting you help?” Klaus said.   
“I- I just don’t-“  
“Face the facts, Ben, he doesn’t care about us! I’ve finally learned that and you know, you don’t need him either!” Luther said, clapping Ben on the shoulder.   
“The fact is, he wants the whole world to see the Sparrow Academy as heroes. He wants to let them destroy the earth and then you guys will come in and save the day.” Five said, a bitter tone in his voice. “It’s all part of his ‘Master Plan’”  
“How would you know?! This ‘dad’ of yours comes from a different timeline!” Ben yelled.   
His father couldn’t be so evil, could he? Could he really let thousands… No. Millions of people die? All to be considered the ‘heroes’?  
“Ben, why don’t you sit down?” Penny said quietly, putting a gentle hand on his arm.  
“No!”   
Ben shoved her hand away in anger and confusion. A hurt look crossed Penny’s face.  
“Hey! Leave her alone!” Five yelled at Ben, defensively stepping between him and Penny.  
“It’s okay, Five,” Penny said, taking his hand.  
Ben had started pacing, his face in his hands.   
He could not believe this.  
But how else could he explain it?  
_______

Harlan’s chest had begun to glow. His true powers had started to activate.   
He had an overwhelming urge to become whole again.  
To reunite every piece of himself.  
________

Back in the apartment, the Umbrella Academy was watching Ben pace back and forth, head in his hands, a crazed look on his face.   
All of the Hargreeves siblings couldn’t stop watching poor Ben.  
All except one.  
_________

Every person Harlan had made a connection with, had transferred some of his powers to, were all walking as though in a trance.   
They each felt such an overwhelming urge to reunite.  
To become one.  
_________

Vanya couldn’t pay attention to what was going on.   
All of the sounds coming from the apartment were muted.   
They were nothing compared to the ringing in her ears.   
What was happening?  
She felt her powers start to activate.  
All of these sounds.  
All the talking, yelling, it was all concentrating into one loud ringing noise.  
Her chest began to glow.   
Harlan.  
Harlan.  
Harlan.  
_________

End of Chapter 11.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am working on an ending to this story and it should be coming soon but in the meantime, are there any cute scenes you want to see between any of your favorite ships? I am happy to incorporate some cuteness into what's becoming quite a crazy plot!


	12. When Two Halves Became Whole.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya and Harlan reunite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I won't leave you hanging!  
> Also me: *doesn't write for, like, a month and a half*
> 
> I'm working on it! I swear!

The Umbrella Academy in: When Two Halves Became Whole.  
______

“Vanya?”  
The Hargeeves were now all quiet, staring nervously at Vanya.   
She had started glowing, her eyes closed and fists clenched.   
“What’s going on with her? Is she supposed to glow?” Ben asked.  
He had forgotten all about his dilemma. Seeing a woman start to glow generally pushed all thoughts out of one’s mind. Even a mind that was used to the supernatural.   
“We don’t know…” Diego said uncertainly, “This is usually not a good sign.”  
_________

Harlan walked out towards the ever-growing mass of people in the streets.   
Though he too was glowing and felt the ever pulling need to get to Vanya, his head was as clear as ever.  
It was as though all of his senses were concentrated on one thing: Vanya.  
_________

With all the yelling and conflict that had gone on in Five’s apartment, all of the emotion and noise had built up into something unbearable.  
Vanya had been working to control her powers and this was nothing compared to when she was tortured… but something about this time, this loss of control, was different.  
It was as though she was floating in the eye of the storm she had created.  
A swirling mass of emotion and sound.  
And people.  
There were faces swirling around in her mind, all yelling her name.  
In the eye of that storm, she could see a man.  
His face looked familiar but she couldn’t quite place it.  
“Vanya…” The man said.  
There was something so familiar about him… his voice, his mannerisms, his eyes.  
Vanya’s eyes shot open.  
“Harlan!”  
_______

At that exact same moment in Dallas, the group of people, all glowing from their chests, shot up into the air.  
The scene would have been funny if not for the eerie glow in their eyes.  
The group began to soar forward, following Harlan, like a group of possessed robots.  
They were about to reunite.  
_______

At Vanya’s yell, the Hargreeve’s started.  
“Who’s Harlan?” asked Ben.  
He was extremely confused and no one was giving him the answers he deserved!  
But before anyone could answer, Vanya began to levitate.   
And, with one great sweep of her arms, she had blown the wall apart.  
Glass and rubble exploded outwards as Vanya shot outdoors, floating into the open air.   
“Th-The wall…?” Penny muttered, slinging to Five’s arm.  
“Damn, Vanya! I liked this apartment!” Five said, angrily.  
________

They rushed outside as bystanders, screaming, rushed to find shelter.  
“Where the hell is she going?” Diego said, watching as Vanya soared through the sky.  
________

Harlan’s group was gaining speed, racing to meet with their other half.  
The group began to pulsate, sending out waves of sound.  
Suddenly, the two pulsing halves met.  
A great wave of sound and light emitted from them.  
“Harlan….”  
Vanya couldn’t believe it.   
Vanya flew forward, embracing Harlan.  
Tears started leaking out of her eyes.   
She had missed him so much, even if it had only been a short time.  
And Harlan felt a wave of joy beyond belief.   
He had been missing Vanya for over 50 years.  
But before anything else could be said, a new wave of screams erupted a few blocks away.  
_______

The Televator had erupted in the city centre, birthing a new wave of monsters.  
The plan was coming into effect.  
_______

End of Chapter 12.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, these Harlan/Vanya chapters aren't too weird..... I'm also thinking of incorporating the sparrow academy characters (now that we know them a bit)!
> 
> What do you think?


End file.
